Field
The present disclosure relates to a technique for controlling management and delivery of consumables of a network device.
Description of the Related Art
A network device including an image forming apparatus (a multifunction peripheral (MFP)) includes a plurality of types of consumables including toners. Currently, a delivery automation system is used that transmits remaining amount information about the consumables from the network device to a management device connected thereto via the Internet to instruct a delivery company to deliver replacement consumables.
In the delivery automation system, the network device transmits a signal to the management device when a remaining amount of any consumable used on the network device has become small. Such a signal is referred to as a consumable remaining amount small notification. For example, when the remaining amount of Yellow (Y) toner becomes small, a signal referred to as a “Yellow toner remaining amount small notification” is transmitted.
In the delivery automation system, when remaining amounts of a plurality of types of consumables have become small, a request is made to collectively deliver new consumables corresponding thereto. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-39789 discusses a method for determining, when the consumable remaining amount small notification has been received from a network device, whether a consumable in the network device and a consumable in another network device are collectively delivered from a delivery history. When the consumable remaining amount small notification has been received from a network device, collectively delivering the consumable and another consumable will be hereinafter referred to as “collective delivery”.
In a system for performing the collective delivery, unless the collective delivery as well as delivery of a single consumable at the time of receiving the consumable remaining amount small notification is suppressed for consumables already delivered, double delivery can occur. In the system for performing the collective delivery, unless a condition under which delivery is not performed is appropriately determined from information about a history of products already delivered, delivery can be omitted when a remaining amount of a consumable has become small again.
Thus, to implement the collective delivery, a system for appropriately determining types and delivery timings of consumables to be delivered from respective use statuses and delivery statuses of the consumables is required.